The New Winds

The Nezumi
The nezumi are ratlike humanoids whose culture existed long before the fall of Fu Leng. The Dark Kami’s violent descent destroyed the civilization their ancestors had built, and the creation of the Shadowlands turned their homeland hostile. Unable to flee into human lands, the survivors have created a new society of nomadic groups that move from place to place to survive.

While many Rokugani consider the nezumi yet more mythological monsters of the Shadowlands, Crab samurai know better. Hiruma scouts foster communication with nezumi to acquire knowledge of dangerous and distant areas of the Shadowlands, and the Kaiu family relies on the Third Whisker tribe that lives under the Wall to aid in its defense. Crab peasants encourage nezumi to settle nearby, leaving offerings of food in the belief that nezumi help keep malignant forces at bay.

Nezumi put the well-being of family and tribe before individual needs, and though their manners are quite different from Rokugani ideals, they are not "monstrous savages" as some believe. Most tribes have their own ethics and rules, practices that don't hinder their survival in the harsh landscape of the Shadowlands—a code the practical Crab bushi can respect. Most importantly, the nezumi hate the Tainted beasts of the Shadowlands. Goblins, ogres, oni, and other creatures slaughter them mercilessly, and the nezumi have not forgotten what Fu Leng took from them when he fell.

Yesterday
The nezumi Rememberers tell of a golden age, when their city was a center of learning and culture ruled by a monarch and council, the nezumi were peaceful among themselves, and their army kept other races at bay. Their philosophers and poets filled a great library with wisdom the likes of which Rokugan has never achieved. Their city was a marvel, and their culture superior to all others.

Then, a falling mountain crashed through their city, sending it to Yume-dō, the Realm of Dreams. In an instant, untold nezumi perished. Evil leaked into the world, and corruption spread across their lands, withering fields and transforming beings into vile beasts—all except the nezumi, who alone proved incorruptible, their steadfast morals and intellect granting immunity from the Taint. At least, this is the tale Rememberers tell, as their sacred task is to ensure the nezumi never forget their past, in the hope that one day, they might build a new society that matches that of their ancestors.

Physiology
Furred, with clawed feet and hands, ratlike noses, and long tails, even nezumi who walk upright and wear scavenged samurai armor cannot pass for human. They average roughly four feet in height, but this varies wildly between tribes, as does fur color, style of dress and piercings, and whether members prefer to walk on two or four feet.

Nezumi live three or four years on average. Their impressive rate of reproduction keeps up the numbers, and Rememberers, Dreamers, and tribal leaders often live a decade or more. Whether this is through some inherent physiological trait among their elite or they have developed a way to extend their natural lifespan, it ensures the tribes maintain their identities and histories consistently over many generations. The nezumi tradition of oral histories is universal among the tribes, and Rememberers teach pups through stories, so they learn as quickly as they grow.

Untainted
The dogma of the Remembers states that, unlike humans, nezumi have few hidden evil impulses onto which the Taint can anchor, making Tainted nezumi extremely rare. However, whether their fortitude is truly a matter of moral fiber or simply a quirk of their physiology is debated by both nezumi and Crab scholars.

The nature of the nezumi resistance to the Taint is a mystery many Kuni scholars attempt to solve. Before the nezumi had allies among the Rokugani, they were considered vermin at best and monsters at worst. Nezumi caught scavenging in human settlements were passed to the Kuni family for terrible experiments. The Kuni have never shared details of their abhorrent investigations but assert that while they learned much from nezumi bodies, they never had reason to believe their subjects were intelligent

Now that the Crab have an uneasy alliance with the nezumi, the Kuni lack a steady supply of subjects. However, Kuni scholars sometimes venture into the Shadowlands in search of nezumi corpses. Stories of Kuni wardens seizing live subjects (or creating corpses) for study arise from time to time. Some are certainly true, for in every age there are horrible fanatics among the Crab who would trade any number of human lives for these secrets, to say nothing of the lives of nezumi.

The nezumi somehow survive in the Shadowlands without falling victim to the Taint––most of the time. Many tribes consider this evidence of their biological and moral superiority, humans being easily Tainted because they are flawed creatures with suppressed dark sides waiting to be released. The Knotted Tails do not take this view, however, seeing the Taint as a sickness and pitying the victims they find. On the rare occasions this tribe has come across an afflicted samurai they have offered what help they can, though they have no treatment for the condition.

The Kuni have long been interested in the nezumi resistance to the Taint but have never been able to establish a cause. There are rumors that in the days before the Crab knew the nezumi were intelligent creatures, Kuni shugenja dissect-ed not only nezumi corpses, but live subjects too, in an effort to understand where the resistance came from. If there is some truth to these rumors, this might explain where the nezumi stories of evil samurai with painted faces came from

Dangerous Nezumi
Most nezumi keep their distance from humans, but some isolated, warlike tribes consider humans the enemy. These nezumi are hardened by constant clashes with Tainted monsters and remain bitter that Rokugan did not offer aid or comfort to their ancestors in their great time of need. Fortunately for humans, these violent tribes live in the distant, most dangerous parts of the Shadowlands, and encounters with them are rare.

It is more common to encounter uncivilized nezumi, those who grew up without the nurturing guidance of a tribe; and outcast nezumi, banished for misdeeds against their people and condemned to an unforgiving, solitary life on the outskirts of their society. Either type might be found wandering in the Shadowlands wastes. Despite what the Rememberers may say, some nezumi are still very cunning, wicked, or desperate individuals. More dangerous than these are those Dreamers who have been consumed by ambition and seek greater power, no matter the cost.

"Scholarly Views"
An extract from A Personal History of Rokugan, author unknown:
Concerning these creatures, whether we call them gesshuirui, shojin, or nezumi, it amounts to the same thing. They are vermin, unclean creatures that thrive in the Shadowlands, pillage our battlegrounds, and steal from the most vulnerable. Though they appear resistant to the Taint themselves, they spread its corruption wherever they go. My grandfather passed along horrible accounts of them eating their dead as well as our own. I myself came across one under the Wall, dripping with blood and undoubtedly busy undermining our defenses. The dead goblins at its feet were obviously its allies. It scurried away as I approached, showing its cowardly nature. I need not waste more ink on this matter; we simply cannot allow their kind to take root within the Empire. We must drive them back into the Shadowlands, where they belong.

The Golden Age
While many tribes tell the tale differently, what’s always clear is that at some point in the nezumi past, tragedy struck. Their once-flourishing civilization was destroyed, their home turned into a dangerous wasteland, and their people scattered. There was no sanctuary for them in Rokugan, where people killed nezumi on sight, calling them monsters. Out of necessity, the nezumi eke out an existence in the Shadowlands, hiding from monsters, demons, and worse. They have adapted to life in the Shadowlands as best they can, but they are as repelled by the place as any human. This is why some tribes live under the Wall or dare to sneak into Crab territory. They would much rather make their home elsewhere

Nezumi Names
Nezumi names are fluid and change depending on major life events, physical attributes, accomplishments, and failures. One Eye the Dreamer, for example, was once named Twitching Tail, a moniker given to him when he was a young pup. Nezumi rarely consider physical differences like the loss of an body part, a scar, or a birthmark as some-thing to be ashamed of. Because most nezumi rely on an oral history, stories are celebrated, and anyone who bears such marks certainly has a story to tell

Nezumi Language
The nezumi language is complicated and difficult for other species to learn, and not many samurai would ever attempt such a task. The difficulty is largely due to the way that their spoken language is often combined with scents, body language, and tail movements that can change meaning. Some nuances are virtually impossible for a human to detect, let alone translate. Different tribes also use different vernaculars, particularly regarding the spoken element of their conversations.

Nezumi "Honor"
Contrary to popular Rokugani belief, the nezumi are not merely cowards who care only for their own survival. Living in the Shadow-lands requires a willingness to run or fight as necessary, but nezumi generally care more about the well-being of their tribe than the individual. Although the concept of honor varies between tribes, for most it necessitates defending friends, family, and allies whatever the personal cost. This version of honor is what the current, nomadic nezumi culture is based on, and what enables it to survive. Nezumi heroes tend to be those who sacrificed themselves to protect their tribe. As a reward, such heroes live on in the tribe’s memory, their stories told and passed down to new pups so they are never forgotten. Truly exceptional nezumi may also become Transcendents

For the nezumi, dishonesty weakens the trust on which their tribe relies. Conversely, for a tribe who survives by scavenging and sharing every-thing, stealing is an unfamiliar concept. Only “special” items are considered off-limits, and these are items with a history, like the leader’s wakizashi or the Rememberer’s collection.

Many nezumi consider themselves to be honorable, and for a samurai to question this would be insulting. However, most nezumi would not react to an insult with the same indignation that a Rokugan samurai would. The exceptions are those nezumi who have learned all they can about Rokugani honor and seek to copy Rokugani practices, such as the Knotted Tails leader, Lucky Silver

Outcast Nezumi
While nezumi are usually resilient and even resistant to the Taint, living in the Shadowlands offers ample opportunity to witness unimaginable horrors. Encountering the warped creatures of the Shadowlands takes its toll even on the nezumi who survive physically untainted. When a member of the tribe becomes obsessed with gaining power over monsters, or so consumed by fear that they endanger or even attack the tribe, it falls to the leader to judge whether they can be helped.

If the Dreamers and healers of the tribe cannot mend their minds, they are exiled from the safety of their tribe. Without the protection of their people, most succumb to the perils of the Shadowlands. Those that endure alone become outcast nezumi, and often grow bitter and dangerous over time

Nezumi Cuisine
Nezumi Rememberers tell of the mythic days in which their ancestors dined on dishes so nutritious their people grew twice the size of modern nezumi, and intoxicating liquors that rendered those who indulged euphoric, while improving mental capacity. In the Shadowlands, however, the nezumi have little choice but to consume whatever they can find to survive. Their robust digestive systems allow them to partake of Shadowlands weeds that would be highly poisonous to humans, the tainted flesh of Shadow-lands monsters, and the indeterminate liquids that accumulate in stagnant puddles. The Kuni have also claimed to witness nezumi eating both human flesh and that of their own kind. The Knotted Tails would be disgusted by such a thought, and adamant that certainly none of their own tribe could ever conceive such a thin

Transcendence
Nezumi believe in two forms of life after death: that being remembered grants a sort of immortality, their names living on in their tribe’s memory, and that important heroes, leaders, and dreamers ascend to Yume-dō, the Realm of Dreams, from where they can offer advice to their descendants. Those who ascend are known as Transcendents, as rather than simply dying they transcend the con-fines of the physical world. Dreamers seek them in the Realm of Dreams for their guidance, but Transcendents can also enter the dreams of the living when they wish to warn or encourage someone

While Transcendents offer wise advice, it is often difficult to interpret. Existing in the shifting reality of the Realm of Dreams, Transcendents gradually lose their grasp of important concepts like time and space. The job of a Dreamer is to translate their wisdom for the common nezumi, granting the tribe insight without causing confusion. However, the longer a Dreamer spends in the Realm of Dreams the more disconnected they become, until they are eventually more like the Transcendents themselves.

When a Transcendent visits someone who is untrained, the encounter might be interpreted as a confusing dream. Simple messages such as a general warning of danger are more likely to get through than complicated advice. A particularly zealous or ancient Transcendent might overwhelm the person they are trying to help

Nezumi Dead
While Rokugani dead are cremated so there is no risk they rise to undeath, the practices of the nezumi are very different. Skulls and bones are left deliberately visible so the dead are not forgotten, and they, as well as a few other tribes, pass the chosen graveyard regularly. This does not mean the nezumi like to visit and face their mortality. The Rememberers are the only nezumi to linger there to fulfill their duties. The markers they leave in the ground nearby communicate warnings and messages to the Rememberers of other tribes. These sticks are decorated with shiny stones or metal fragments and gnawed into peculiar shapes, and some have nezumi symbols scratched into them

Unlike human remains, nezumi corpses are resistant to mahō, a property which may relate to their resistance to the Taint. The nezumi believe their graveyard is safe from blood painters, so it is not guarded or hidden. They believe that the only nezumi corpses that rise again are those that evil sorcerers force Transcendents to return to. This is a rare and terrifying occurrence, resulting in angry undead, desperate to spill the blood of those who dared drag them back from the Realm of Dreams.